The Tale of Hatch
by CoGDork
Summary: A young Hylian boy, raised from infancy by the Rito, goes on a dangerous journey to find a legendary artifact said to give any Hylian the power of flight. Will young Hatch find the Roc's Feather and finally join his adoptive family in the clouds? A non-Ganon, non-Hero, non-SI, OC-centric plot set in a recovering Hyrule post-BotW!
1. Hatchling

**A/N:** **_Why do I do this? Because plot bunnies are like a song that gets stuck in your head—YOU CANNOT GET RID OF THEM AND THEY WILL DRIVE YOU MAD until you cave in and start singing. Well, in spite of all the other fics I've got going, I intend to develop this particular plot bunny. It's a story set in the post-BotW Zeldaverse, but with an plot revolving around entirely original characters that has nothing to do with the Triforce or saving the Princess. If the Elder Scrolls games can give us fanfics not involving a main game plot, so can the rich lore of the Zelda games. This story will feature a plot not unlike Castle in the Sky, but set in a Hyrule recovering from the events of BotW, and the primary themes of it will be adoption, family, and identity. Enjoy!_**

* * *

The Hebra range was among the most treacherous regions of Hyrule; aside from the section of the Royal Highway leading from the Woodlands and a few side paths through narrow passes, there was little reason to pass through aside from a key trade route and the plentiful hunting to be had in the frozen forests. The latter reason was what drew the Rito couple there as they flew gracefully around the sky, looking for game to hunt.

"I see nothing, Tovo," the female of the pair said as she gazed at the ground; "should we head home? We already have some meat to bring back."

Her male counterpart shook his head. "Not just yet, Mivli. What we have isn't enough; winter will arrive soon enough, and with it the first big storms. We'll need all the food we can get. There may be some bears or moose if we try a little further North—"

"What's that over there?"

Tovo looked in the direction of his mate's gaze; a few plumes of smoke rose from the direction of the Royal Highway. "A caravan camp, perhaps? It's not terribly cold yet. The paths are still fairly traversable... they may have seen game, or have some meat to sell."

Nodding, they flew in the direction of the smoke. The source was indeed a caravan, but not from campfires. Instead, what they found was the scene of a massacre. The smoke billowed up from the remains of wagons, covered and otherwise, the contents gone. Bodies were littered across the ground, some with sword wounds, others with arrows and bolts sticking out of them. Mivli and Tovo looked at each other with grave expressions; they did not need to guess at the reason for the death. Moblins, bokoblins, lizalfos... so many monsters lurked around the dark places off the road that traveling was already a danger.

"Poor souls," Tovo sighed, "We will have to tell the Chieftain of this. Other settlements must be warned of the dangers along the road, or more innocents may suffer the same fate..."

Mivli began to respond when a sound from the wreckage interrupted her; from their vantage in the sky, it sounded like crying. Circling in to land, they searched for the source, only to find two Hylian women, perfectly still, pressed tightly against something small for its protection. Tovo carefully moved one of the bodies aside to reveal what they were protecting: a small Hylian babe, a newborn from the small size. The boy was wailing in fear and cold; Mivli, responding to a growing maternal instinct within her, grabbed a nearby piece of cloth and wrapped the baby up in it, cradling it carefully.

"What will we do with this little one? We cannot leave him here," Mivli said as she attempted to calm the newly-orphaned infant.

Tovo frowned in thought. "We must send word to the nearest Hylian settlement. Perhaps someone there can take him in."

"No, that won't work. The weather is growing colder, and I see thick clouds to the Northeast; the first blizzard will arrive soon, and the roads and passes will fill up with snow, the skies too dangerous to fly in. Our village is his only option."

"Mivli, the boy is Hylian. Would it not be better for him, kinder even, to give him to his people?"

A pause passed as she considered the thought, but in the end she shook her head. "That may be so, but we don't even know _who_ can raise him. I would rather he be safe among our people than place such a young chick at risk, even to be with his kind."

"It will be a hard life," Tovo responded. "Hylians cannot fly."

"He will have a home, and a family. Besides, didn't Orilo say he wanted a little brother?"

Tovo thought carefully, and smiled. "Yes, I believe he did. You are right, my love; this one is now our responsibility. But what shall we name him?"

As the boy ceased crying and began to slumber in Mivli's arms, she brushed a wingtip against his forehead. "Hatch. We shall call him Hatch."

* * *

**TWELVE YEARS LATER**

The sun shone down on a small patch of grass in the Tabantha region as a young Hylian boy lay there, watching the various morning birds flit and fly about with wild abandon. The boy wore his jet-black hair in a shaggy ear-length fashion, with two feathers stuck in the left side and a bead braid hanging beneath. As he gazed up at the birds with his brown eyes, he felt a longing in his heart, an envy that he could not break free of. Reaching into a hip sack and pulling out a small wooden flute, he let loose a flurry of notes that seemed to mimic the songs of the birds enough that one of them alighted on his knee, apparently curious. He was small for a Hylian his age, with a slender frame. This seemed to make him appear less intimidating to wild animals, birds in particular. Perhaps it was his clothing as well as his size that attracted birds; his attire was downy gray in color, with some specks of black here and there accentuated by the occasional colored dye pattern and some traditional beadwork. Short black feathers were worked along the sleeves of his shirt, giving the slight impression of a fledgling bird's wings. His trousers ended in dull yellowish sleeves that matched the color of his boots, which had three black stones on the tip in a manner resembling a bird's talons. All in all, he must have looked like some strange form of chick to the small bird resting on him as it tweeted curiously. He once again responded with a few notes on his flute before the bird flew away, its curiosity satisfied for the moment.

The boy was snapped out of his reverie at an amazing sight; high above the ground, a mystical glowing green form flew through the air, the winds seeming to pick up as it passed by. He had heard tales of the being, but had never before seen it himself. And yet, at sight, he knew exactly what it was.

_Farosh! The Green Dragon of the Goddess of Courage!_

Excitedly, the boy leapt to his feet and began following the path of the dragon as he leapt nimbly from his patch of grass to a nearby boulder, then from the boulder to a larger one before effortlessly clambering up a rock wall and hopping to a rock spire from there. He moved gracefully, his light frame well-suited to this acrobatic style of movement that brought him as close to flying as a Hylian was able to get without a paraglider. His heart raced; the stories mentioned boons the dragon might give to brave mortals, on behalf of the goddess it served. He knew in his heart what he would wish for, should he ever manage to reach the dragon... unfortunately, just as he reached the top of a hillock, the serpentine being vanished into a strange portal that opened up in the sky. The boy almost began to shout his wish after it, but by the time his breath returned to him the dragon was already gone. With a disappointed sigh, he turned and kicked the grass in frustration. It was at that moment, as he looked down at his feet, that he saw a shadow looming above him.

"Oh no."

Running in a near-panic, the boy tried to escape the descending form only to be snatched off the ground by his shoulders, talons grasping tightly onto him as he squirmed.

"Argh! Lemme go!"

"No."

"Oriloooo!" the boy whined annoyedly.

His abductor sighed back. "Hatch, you know you're not supposed to go climbing around the pillars. Mother and Father would have my tail feathers if anything happened to you."

"I was doing just fine, Ril! I don't need you to—"

"Evidently, you do," Orilo responded. "Besides, I was told to bring you back to the village anyway. The ceremony won't wait for you to finish scampering around in places you shouldn't."

The mention of the ceremony seemed to calm Hatch down a bit. "I know, but that's not until midday. I figured I had time to play a little while longer..."

A few moments of silence passed; the quiet was broken by Orilo. "So, have you practiced?"

"Of _course _I've practiced. I've been practicing the whole year for this!"

"So what will you play on that flute of yours?"

Hatch smirked impishly. "It's a surprise."

"So, 'The Conquest of Vah Medoh', then," Orilo replied with a smirk of his own. "Don't act so surprised. I know how much you like that story."

"I wish I could just sing it like everyone else... but I think I've gotten good enough to win."

Orilo nodded and gave a warm chuckle. "I know you will, little brother."

The pair soon found themselves arriving at the Rito Village, the form of the defunct Divine Beast Vah Medoh still perched atop the tallest spire. Orilo carefully deposited his adoptive sibling on a wooden platform before landing gracefully next to him, ruffling his black and orange feathers a bit to shake off the exertion as he began to walk through the village with Hatch by his side. The village had done well for itself since the end of the Calamity and the reformation of Hyrule that occurred shortly after Hatch was born. Hatch often wondered about the Champion, as the great Hero had just finished his business in the village by the time of his adoption; while his parents had not had the honor of meeting the Champion, Chieftain Kaneli did, and the latter was more than happy to speak of the great man and his deeds.

A few hours later, the village stood around a large platform in the village, observing a number of Rito children and Hatch lined up before Chieftain Kaneli. The old bird held up an ornate beaded and feathered necklace as he began to speak.

"The Ceremony of Song will now begin! Who will receive the honor of wearing this necklace as they lead their peers in a song of their choosing at Warbler's Nest? We shall soon see!"

The ceremony began; one by one, the participants stepped forward and serenaded the village with a song of their choice; finally, it was Hatch's turn. He was nervous at first—would they accept his flute as a substitute for Rito song?—but at the sight of his parents and Orilo, he was able to steel his nerves and begin to play. The song he had chosen, "The Conquest of Vah Medo", was a new but popular tune that detailed the Champion's heroic efforts to free the divine beast that now rested above the village, and the fierce battle above the clouds with the evil entity that lay within. Though he could not sing lyrics with the flute, the notes and runs and musical flourishes he added into his playing told the tale well enough. It was this story, and others like it, that gave Hatch a genuine love of legends and fables. While his peers had mostly grown out of that fascination Hatch had not; he didn't just enjoy the tales, he _believed_ them deeply. He channeled this belief into his playing, and was soon swept up in the song himself. When he finished, he was pleasantly surprised to hear raucous applause from the other villagers. The truest happiness came as Chieftain Kaneli adorned him with the traditional necklace of the Song Leader.

"Young Hatch," he spoke, "you may not have been born a child of the sky, but none could now doubt you have the heart of one. You shall lead the other children in this very song before the Voo Lota Shrine at Warbler's Nest."

Hatch beamed. It was moments like this that he adored more than any other; he was keenly aware of his Hylian form, but inside he did not see himself as one. Even when the odd Hylian trader came through the village, he felt no connection with them or their culture. In his mind, he was merely a Rito without feathers, and thus the acknowledgment of that fact by the Chieftain—let alone the entire village—meant a great deal to him. He had won a great contest of his people, and soon he would participate in and even lead one of his people's oldest rituals. As Hatch happily smiled and approached his family, he was unaware of the gaze of one of his peers in the ceremony upon him.

That afternoon, Hatch was sitting happily on the platform when someone behind him grabbed the necklace and pulled it off him forcefully; as he turned, the offender grabbed his flute as well and flew up just barely out of reach.

"Mitoh! Give that back!"

The Rito chick in question gave an angry gaze. "You don't deserve this necklace! I worked hard to win the contest, and you didn't even sing!"

"You know why I used the flute! I can't—"

"That's right, you can't," Mitoh said with a cruel smirk, "Because _you're not one of us. _What, you thought you were a Rito just because the Chieftain said some pretty words? Because your mother and father told you? The truth is, they're idiots and liars."

This enraged Hatch, who attempted to charge Mitoh only for the bully to fly further out of reach. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"Why should I? It's true. How could you ever be a Rito? You can't even sing like we do. You might as well not even bother trying to fake your way..."

With a sadistic laugh, Mitoh tossed Hatch's prized flute off the side of the mountain. Hatch watched helplessly as it tumbled into the abyss, tears forming in his eyes to the delight of his bully.

"What's the matter, Hatch? Just jump right off the side and grab it. Oh, wait, that's right... you can't fly! Hahahaha! Might as well jump anyway. At least that way you won't embarrass the village anymore!"

Hatch couldn't help but shiver and try to hold back his tears as Mitoh flew away with the necklace, laughing at him as he did so. After a few more moments of quiet, he ran home to his family's hut. By the time he got there, he was sobbing heavily, and he nearly tackled his mother in his rush for comfort.

"What's wrong, sweetie? Where's your necklace and flute?" His mother looked him over worriedly.

"M-Mitoh... he... h-he t-t-took the n-necklace, th-threw my f-flute off the ledge..."

Orilo frowned in anger. "That little brat..."

"I'll speak to the Chieftain and ask him to get a replacement necklace for you, and then in the morning I'll fly over to the nearest settlement and get you a brand-new flute," Tovo said as he moved to comfort Hatch as well.

In spite of the warm hugs from his mother and father and the promise of a new flute, it was Mitoh's words that truly caused him pain. Hatch had heard them before, but not like this; this time, he had dared to win a Rito contest and prove his place, or so he thought. But the victory and pride he felt were now utterly crushed.

"Wh-why..."

Tovo looked down at his crying son. "Why what, little wing?"

"WHY COULDN'T I HAVE BEEN BORN A RITO?"

The anguished cry tore through the hut, prompting soft words from his Mivli. "My precious boy, you _are_ a Rito. You have the heart and soul of a Rito, and you have us, and that is enough."

"B-but I... I c-can't sing, I can't f-fly..."

A pause came through as his family wondered how to calm him. Finally, something occurred to Mivli, and she began to speak. "Do you recall the Elder ever telling the tale of the Hero of Storms?"

Hatch looked up at her; he had heard the name and the story before. The Chieftain would often regale the children of the village with traditional Rito tales, and one of them involved a great Hero thousands of years ago who defeated an evil Sorcerer by the name of Vaati.

"Well, did you know that the Hero had a special feather? It was called the Roc's Feather, and they said that he could fly through the sky with its power. A Hylian, flying as high as any Rito... the Champion, too, flew, though in a different manner. Tomorrow, your father will have a new flute for you, and you will sing as we do once again. And perhaps someday, you will find a way to fly like the Hero and the Champion did."

Hatch's crying slowly began to subside as his mother spoke. His sorrow was banished further by Orilo. "And rest assured, if Mitoh tries anything with your new flute, he won't be flying for a good while if I have anything to say about it."

Tovo gave him a disapproving look. "Orilo..."

"What? No one hurts my brother without answering to me. That's what big brothers are for, right?"

With that, Hatch's crying slowly ceased. Things were still decidedly not okay. But they would get better. And there was now a new story in his mind, one that he silently latched onto as a way to perhaps fulfill the boon he had intended to ask of Farosh that morning, the wish he had made every time he looked up at the birds in the sky.

His peers would have said that the Feather was nothing but a story. But now, as always, Hatch _believed._


	2. Leaving the Nest

**A/N:****_Just so you guys know, I'd be interested in anyone offering to help beta this fic! Also, if you are a decent artist or know of a good one, I'm also interested in maybe commissioning art of this fic._**

* * *

Hatch awoke the next morning to the smell of salmon being cooked over the cooking pot. Turning carefully in his hammock toward the mouthwatering smell, he saw his brother in the process of making a traditional Rito breakfast.

"Look who's awake," Orilo said with a smile.

"Where's mother and father?"

"She's speaking to Mitoh's mother about what happened yesterday; as for Father, he flew off to buy you a new flute from Maritta village.***** He should be back by nightfall."

Hatch nodded and sat down to wait for his share of salmon. "Orilo... what have you heard about the Hero of Storms?"

"Not much beyond the Chieftain's stories," his brother responded. "I know he _supposedly _defeated some wizard called Vaati atop a floating palace, and that he had a lot of allies among the Rito who aided him in his quest."

"Supposedly?"

Orilo shook his head. "Hatch, I know why you're asking. It's just a legend."

"The Champion wasn't."

"No, but..." Orilo sighed. "Look, just trust me. I'm older than you, I know more—"

"You're older by three years," Hatch pointed out with a chuckle as he took a slice of salmon and placed it on a wooden plate to eat. "As if that makes a difference."

His brother shared in the chuckle before turning to look him in the eye. "Look, I know you love stories. But sometimes, a story is all it is. In any case, you've got more important things to worry about. Like getting that new necklace from the chieftain."

Hatch's eyes widened. He had forgotten! Quickly downing his slice of salmon, he shot to his feet and dashed out in the direction of the Chieftain's hut. As he approached, however, he saw that Chieftain Kaneli was already speaking with an unfamiliar Hylian man. The latter was tall and athletically built, with light brown hair down just below his ears and a stubbly square jaw; his leather armor and rugged clothing marked him as some sort of adventurer. Patiently waiting on a landing nearby, Hatch managed to pick up some of their conversation.

"Look, my employer is a true enthusiast of ancient cultures. He would treat your book with the highest respect—"

"I'm afraid the answer is still no, Mr. Voss," the Chieftain replied in an apologetic tone. "That book is an essential part of our culture, and contains lore written by some of our greatest warriors and scholars. We can't just give it away."

The Hylian—Voss, apparently—was undeterred. "My employer is not asking you to 'give it away'. He's willing to offer a substantial amount of money in compensation. Imagine what fifty thousand rupees could do for your village!"

Chieftain Kaneli shook his head. "I fear that no amount of money would be acceptable, Mr. Voss. The book is a priceless part of our history. Now, if you were to accept—"

Before Kaneli could finish the sentence, Voss stormed out of the hut in frustration, barely noticing Hatch as he passed on his way out of the village. Seeing that it was now his turn to speak to the Chieftain, Hatch entered the hut.

"Chieftain Kaneli," he said, bowing in respect.

The old Rito smiled at his new guest. "Ah, young Hatch! My deepest apologies for what happened yesterday. Mitoh's mother gave me the necklace back to give to you."

Hatch brightened as the Chieftain took the necklace down from a hook and placed it on him. "Thank you, Chieftain! Will the Ceremony still go on?"

"Of course, young one. Well, Mitoh will be absent for obvious reasons... but yes, and you will still lead the song at Warbler's Nest in one month."

As Hatch bowed again and prepared to leave, the Chieftain interrupted him.

"Oh! I nearly forgot! Young Hatch, would you be willing to make a delivery of sorts? My previous guest left before I could give him a partial copy I once made of the book he desired. It is hardly complete, but it should satisfy his employer's curiosity about our people's lore."

"Of course, Chieftain," Hatch replied. "Where are they?"

"The man and his employer should still be at the stables just outside the village. Please give them my apologies as well, won't you?"

Hatch nodded before bowing and leaving the hut. Leaping around the railings and platforms in the village, he managed to make it to the bridge out in record time, carrying the copy in his hip sack. Upon approaching his destination, he saw the strange man speaking with a number of similarly-dressed Hylians who were clearly subordinate. Out of curiosity, he approached the stablemaster.

"Who is he?"

"The leader there is Carnon Voss. Some sort of adventurer for hire," The stablemaster responded. "They say he's been in every ruin in Hyrule during the Calamity and come out without a scratch from even one. Evidently he's working for Jurah Mammon now."

Hatch tilted his head in confusion. "Jurah who?"

This seemed to surprise the stablemaster quite a bit. "Where have _you_ been, lad? Jurah Mammon is the wealthiest man in Hyrule outside of the royal family! They say he's a collector of rare antiquities with a private collection that even the Queen would pay to see. Honestly, how does any Hylian not know of Jurah Mammon?"

If Hatch had feathers, he would have ruffled them. As it stood, he merely pouted. "I'm not a Hylian, not really..."

The stablemaster hummed curiously before shrugging. "Oh well. In any case, Mammon's inside, waiting on word from Voss. The man doesn't want any visitors, but if you have business with him you might speak with Voss instead."

Nodding, Hatch walked over to the rugged man with the copy in hand. "Um, Mr. Voss? I'm from the Rito village. Chieftain Kaneli offers his apologies and wishes to give you this."

Voss turned and looked down at Hatch before examining the book. "Huh," he said with surprise, "a copy? Might be useful... what's your name, boy?"

"Hatch,"

"Well, Hatch, my employer will be quite pleased with this. Good work."

As Voss turned to leave, Hatch wondered what a man interested in lore would need with a whole team of adventurers for hire...

* * *

"Something wrong, Jurah?"

The man in question remained silent at Voss' question, flipping a few pages back and forth in the copied book. Jurah Mammon was a middle-aged man with slicked-back grey hair and a thick mustache befitting a man of wealth and taste, though his manner of dress was more practical than one would expect of the richest man in Hyrule. Though his body had some slight portliness to it—the product of age rather than sloth or gluttony—his eyes still shone with an energy normally attributed to younger men, but with the tempered cunning behind it that only age could provide. As the seconds ticked by, Jurah finally broke the silence with a sigh.

"...It's not in here."

"The passage about the Hero, or the one about the Feather—"

"NEITHER, VOSS!" Jurah snapped; "This copy is incomplete. We need the real book."

The younger Hylian nodded. "Then I go back and get it."

"The chieftain has no clue what he has on his hands. If you ask him again, he may become suspicious and take a closer look for himself..."

"I wasn't planning on asking," Voss said calmly.

Jurah paused for a few moments to think it over. "Voss, we have come this far without tipping off anyone else. The slightest mistake could bring competitors—or worse, guards—chasing us down."

"Jurah, I broke into Hyrule Castle while Ganon still had control of it—"

"With the aid of twenty other men—"

"All of whom died but me. And not only did I still escape with the treasure we were after, I didn't need a magic sword to survive," Voss countered before giving a confident smirk. "If I can do that and get out with no one the wiser, I can break into an old bird's wooden hut without anyone knowing it."

Another long pause; one might swear they heard wheels turning in Jurah's head. "Fine. Just get it done. Before you go, though, tell your men to start packing up; I want us out of here and on our way before the Rito know anything is missing."

* * *

Hatch sat upon a high ledge on the highest spire of the village, the Divine Beast perched at the very top; this ledge, in the shadow of the dormant ancient machine, was one of his favorite places to escape to. The Rito old enough to remember the Champion were too used to the energy coming off of it making the mere act of approaching too dangerous in spite of the fact that it no longer moved nor even glowed, and the younger Rito—save for a few—saw no reason to care. From where he sat, playing his new flute and enjoying the view of the stars above, Hatch could see the entire village and its surrounding area; new Rito settlements had popped up around the area since the re-founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule. There were some expansions that had been made to the village itself as well; new walkways, new platforms, new stairs and landings, new huts. Hatch often wondered if it would one day be a city in its own right. As he sat musing and occasionally blowing a few quiet notes so as not to wake anyone from their sleep, Hatch spotted something odd by the moonlight; a strange form climbing the outside of the Chieftain's hut. Peering through the darkness, he could just barely make out the shape of the Chieftain's Hylian guest exiting the hut with a small bag tied to his back.

_A thief! He's stealing from the village!_ A small part of Hatch's mind considered the notion of waking the village to alert them rather than chasing the thief himself, but the more impulsive and curious side had quickly quashed that notion in favor of immediate action. Hatch leapt from his ledge to a lower one, then from that to the roof of one of the higher huts. Continuing to hop from roof to roof—his light frame and practiced skill allowing for soft, silent landings—Hatch followed the thief as he made his escape. Before long, he had followed the man to the stables, creeping up next to a window into the small inn where the thief had entered. As he waited for an opportunity to do _something—_what it was, he didn't quite know yet, but he was sure he'd know it when the time came—he overheard two voices in conversation, one belonging to the thief whose name he now recalled was Carnon Voss.

"I've got it, Jurah. And the village sleeps still."

"Excellent work," An older, refined voice followed.

_Jurah... Mammon? That was the name,_ Hatch noted. What were they stealing a book for?

His questions were answered by Mammon's voice. "We can read through it on the way to the Temple of Heroes. Are you sure the Queen's archaeological teams haven't found the passage yet?"

"Nah," Voss replied, "Last time I was there they were still examining that giant Hylia statue there and clearing out what's left of the guardians. That wasn't too long ago, and the passage is pretty well-hidden. All we need to do is bribe a couple of guards to look the other way while we sneak in, then your book can show us what to do to open the door."

"And once we have the key, finding the treasure of the Hero of Storms should be a simple matter."

_The Hero of Storms! The Hero who flew!_

Voss chuckled in response to Jurah's comment. "Yeah, I gotta say, I never thought of a Feather being much of a prize until you hired me. But that's why you're the boss."

Hatch struggled not to let out a squeal of delight. The Feather was real! The Feather was real! He nearly forgot all about the thievery for a moment before deciding to finally do something about it...

"HATCH! What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

Hatch yelped and shot to his feet at the sight of Orilo, who had just swooped down from above and landed right in front of him. The shout was heard by Mammon and Voss, who turned and saw the two brothers just outside the window.

"Voss! Get them! Don't let them get away!"

Hatch and Orilo barely had time to move before Voss had leapt out the window at them, landing in a roll and drawing a sword in one smooth motion. Orilo quickly grabbed Hatch by the shoulders in his talons and swooped into the air, only for Voss to suddenly pull out a small crossbow and begin firing at them.

"What did you do, Hatch?!"

"I didn't do anything, Ril! _They're_ the ones who stole from the Chieftain!"

A stray bolt nicked Orilo's cheek, causing him to wince in pain and accidentally drop Hatch. Fortunately, the latter managed to land on the roof of the stable inn as Voss continued to try and shoot his brother out of the air. Hatch leapt from the roof onto Voss' back, tackling the man to the ground and causing him to drop his crossbow over the edge of a cliff. The Hylian mercenary grunted as he shook Hatch off of him onto the ground before pointing a sword at his throat.

"Brave, kid. Brave, but stupid."

Hatch shoved himself backwards over the cliff, falling only a short while before Orilo caught him again. Voss pulled out a throwing knife, only for shouting to be heard from the village. "Dammit... set fire to the stables!"

The brothers followed the direction of Voss' orders to see some of his fellow mercenaries doing just that with fire arrows as they mounted up. For his own part, Voss ran and leapt onto a cart with Jurah as it took off down the road at the highest speed two horses could take it.

As the fires began to burn, Hatch noticed a piece of parchment on the ground where he had tackled Voss. "Ril! Put me down there! Hurry!"

Not understanding the reason but not seeing any point in arguing, Orilo did so and watched perplexedly as Hatch grabbed the parchment and stared at it. "What is it?"

"It's a map... look! It's got markings on... what's this, the Gerudo Highlands?... And some big island way out to the East. There's words scribbled on it, too! Ril, it's a treasure map! It has to be!"

Orilo groaned. "Hatch, this is not the time for—"

"No, you don't get it! I overheard them talking about the Hero of Storms and the Feather! The book they stole had clues to it, so this map must be related! Ril, the Feather is real!"

"Even if it is," Orilo said, "This isn't a fun game, that man tried to kill us! Forget it, Hatch."

Hatch glared right back. "Forget it? No way! Besides, they stole from the village! That book belongs to our people! Shouldn't we go get it back?"

A long pause followed. Orilo had the same objection as before—this was too dangerous for them—but the look on his brother's face kept him from repeating it. There was genuine indignation at the theft, yes, but beyond that there was an expression of actual, genuine _hope_ to a degree he had never seen from his brother, ever. It was the look of someone whose greatest wishes were on the verge of coming true before their eyes, and Orilo didn't have the heart to deny that.

"Fine. We go after them. But _only_ until we get the book back."

With a happy grin, Hatch nearly tackled his brother to the ground with a hug.

* * *

***** _**Maritta Exchange Ruins in the Ridgelands, post-BotW. In this canon a lot of places that were ruins got resettled.**_


	3. Temple of Heroes

"So what happens if mother and father start wondering why we've taken so long to get back from Castle Town?"

"You're talking like it's going to take years. Besides, once we come back with the book and the Feather I'm sure they'll understand!"

Orilo quite doubted that. Due to the distraction caused by the burning stable inn—thievery or no, one did not simply stand by and allow a fire to burn out of control, even if it meant letting the thieves escape—Voss and Jurah had gotten a head start on their own search for... whatever they were looking for. If it existed. In any event, with the trail cold, the general consensus among the Rito was that it was easier to simply send word to Hyrule Castle to put up wanted posters and be alert for any signs of the thieves. Orilo offered to be the messenger, with Hatch coming along to see Castle Town for the first time. With a bit of convincing—though he was only fifteen, Orilo was already known to be quite capable on his own, and the Rito coming-of-age was but a year away for him—their parents agreed on the condition that Hatch do whatever Orilo said and not go wandering off. All of this was, of course, a lie, yet another thing that made Orilo uneasy. Hatch insisted that it was not _entirely_ a lie, because part of their story involved them stopping at the edge of Tanagar Canyon to see the Temple of Heroes.

The Temple was one of the many amazing discoveries the Champion had made during his quest to defeat the Calamity; nestled at the northern end of the canyon, it had been entirely forgotten by the world. The place had supposedly been overrun by Guardians, all of which—according to the stories, anyway—the Champion had simply destroyed with a single casual swing of his sword. This was patently absurd, because there were a number of intact, though defunct guardians remaining when the Royal Archaeology Ministry***** teams were sent to investigate; these had been removed as part of the process of studying the place. What the teams found was astonishing: the site was, in fact, a temple dedicated to the Eternal Hero in all their incarnations. Its oldest section—featuring a massive statue of the Goddess Hylia—was believed to date all the way back to the Era of the Goddess and the founding of Hyrule itself. It seemed that, as time passed, the ancients began to worship the Eternal Hero as a sort of demigod; according to inscriptions found in the temple, the belief was that each incarnation was mortal until their death, at which point they became deities in the service of Hylia, much as their mortal selves had served the Goddess' mortal descendants in life.

As Orilo carried his brother through the skies before depositing him on a ledge overlooking the Temple, he idly wondered what the Champion must have thought when he heard that particular bit of history, being the latest incarnation of the bunch. _He probably thought it was quite a bother, _Orilo decided.

Whatever the Champion's feelings—well, the Prince Consort, now that he was married to the Queen, though everyone still referred to him as the Champion—the official stance was that the site was to be restored to a pristine condition and protected as a cultural landmark. The work of restoring it was put off until Hyrule itself was on stable footing, however, and so while the external facade of the newly-christened Temple of Heroes was now mostly intact-looking, the inside was said to still be in shoddy condition. Only the Royal Archaeologists, the Royal Laborers, and the guards posted to keep the public out knew for sure. The Temple was still not in any state to receive tourists or pilgrims, so while the public were allowed to enter the canyon and pay their respects to the facade, they were not allowed to approach beyond a certain point or attempt to enter. Only those with a Royal Seal signifying their permission to be there in some official capacity were allowed through.

"Well, what now?" Orilo asked as he landed next to his brother. "I don't see any way the thieves are getting in there."

Hatch nodded. "They'll try anyway. They definitely mentioned this place when I was eavesdropping. Something about a hidden passageway and a door they planned to open with the book somehow."

Before Orilo could respond, he spied familiar faces on the canyon floor approaching the Temple; there, disguised as members of the Royal Labor Ministry, were Jurah Mammon, Carnon Voss, and their fellow cutthroats.

"Okay, well they do seem to have a plan," Orilo sighed. "Wish we had one..."

* * *

Jurah sucked in his pride as he bowed to the guard captain. "Greetings, Sir Knight. We're here to lend a hand, courtesy of Her Royal Majesty."

The captain raised an eyebrow at him, not quite convinced. "Really. May I see your Royal Seal?"

A smirk came across Jurah's face. "But of course. Look upon it as long as you like. I believe you'll find everything in order."

"Hmm," the captain said, looking through the small written note and pouch full of rupees handed in lieu of an actual Seal; "yes, this does indeed seem to be in order. You and your companions may pass."

Jurah nodded before gesturing to Voss and the others to follow him inside. As Voss' minions looked around in stupefied awe, Jurah chuckled. "Tens of thousands of years of history here, and the Queen's fools waste their efforts on prettying up the place and paying respect to a block of stone in the shape of a fat woman with wings. They've only just scratched the surface of what this place was for."

"What was it for, then?" asked one of Voss' lackeys as they passed a part of a wall with elaborate carvings that had once been covered by centuries, if not millennia, of dirt. "Looks like a temple to Heroes to me. Look, they've got a... whatsit..."

"Inscription," Jurah supplied.

"Yeah, an conscription and an engraving of this one's adventures here, something about a weird little flute..."

"That would be the Hero of Time," Jurah nodded; "The first incarnation of the Hero to face Ganon in single combat. They say he also went to another world and re-discovered the ancient art of making magical masks before returning and going on a long journey, mastering every form of swordplay he came across."

Mammon prided himself on his historical knowledge; he considered himself an expert on the subject, in fact. Through the judicious use of mercenaries, he had acquired a great deal of priceless artifacts from the ruins of Hyrule, and by the time the Champion had shown up his collection had grown into a near-museum. And now, he was on his way to finding a prize greater than any other in his collection, something with real _power_ within it. Most people simply looked at his wealth and assumed that was all there was to him. He knew better. Wealth was a means, not an end; knowledge and power were the real end. An end that only the most cunning, the most bold, the most willful could pursue and hope to actually achieve.

As the group walked through the temple—Voss having taken the lead, as he knew where the passage was—Jurah continued to look at the few remaining wall carvings and their accompanying inscriptions; along both walls were countless such carvings, each separated into their own section of wall and dedicated to a specific incarnation of the Eternal Hero. Finally, they came upon a section of wall that was mostly missing, revealing some of the brickwork behind it. The only remaining bit of the wall made clear who the carving that once covered the brickwork was dedicated to:

_Hero of Storms, Friend of the Rito, He who Fought Vaati Among the Clouds_

"This is it," Voss said. "Told you it'd be intact. These morons don't want to tear up the place; probably why the builders hid this behind the walls."

One of Voss' minions snorted. "I don't see no passage. Just another wall behind it."

"That's what it's meant to look like," Jurah countered. "But look at the little bit of brickwork on the side of it, under the missing part of the pillar dividing the wall sections. Those are laid differently than the ones behind the carving."

Voss nodded. "Yup. Saw it when I was in here. Funny thing those guardians, you move in just the right way they can't get a proper bead on you. The ones in here weren't mobile, which meant that all you had to do was get behind stuff so they lost sight of you."

"Of course," Jurah pointed out, "this story ended the same as the one about Hyrule Castle: with you running for your life."

"Only a moron sticks around when the wall section you were hiding behind falls over leaving you in the line of sight of several guardians."

"Only a madman would have gone here in the first place."

Voss chuckled at Jurah's counter-argument. "Sane people don't choose this job. They're better off doing something _boring_ with their lives." Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Voss smiled as the guards reacted to something that had apparently happened on the other end of the temple. "Huh, looks like your guard followed your instructions, Jurah."

"Money is an excellent motivator," Jurah nodded. "Now how does it open?"

Voss smirked, pulling a brick out to reveal a hidden switch. Pulling the switch caused the wall to shift slightly, revealing a long corridor behind it. The group carefully walked through the opening, Jurah stopping to place the brick back before stepping through and closing the opening behind him with the aid of a switch on the inside. With all the guards gone, no one would be the wiser... save for the two forms that had landed, unseen, in a high archway near the top of the Temple facade.

* * *

Hatch smiled as he carefully climbed down to ground level, quietly moving toward the wall section he and Orilo had just spotted Jurah and Voss enter through. "See? See? They know something is here! Maybe it's the Feather!"

"Hatch!" Orilo quietly hissed, "What are you doing?! The guards will be coming back any second!"

The younger of the two was undeterred. "So keep a watch for them while I figure out where that brick was."

Sighing in resignation, Orilo flew up to a ledge near the ceiling to do just that. As he kept watch, Hatch felt his hands over the wall until he found the brick that hid the switch; pulling it out, he grinned widely as he pulled on the switch... only for it to move about a hair before stopping. "Ugh, I think they jammed it a bit when Mammon shoved the brick back in! Just wait, lemme see if I can work it loose..."

"Whatever you're doing, little brother, you'd better do it fast! The guards are coming back!"

Hatch nodded and began alternating between pulling and pushing on the switch, but little progress seemed to be made. Meanwhile, Orilo watched in growing horror as one guard in particular walked slowly back toward the front of the Temple from where he had been; his path would take him right by them, and there was no way they wouldn't be seen. "Hurry up, Hatch..."

"I'm... nnngh, I'm trying! It's stuck!"

The guard, having apparently heard Hatch's quiet groan, began to pick up the pace, even as Hatch managed to finally work the switch loose and open the door. The guard passed right in front of them... only to be distracted at the last second as a stray bit of gravel-sized debris from a ledge above fell on his head, clattering against his helmet and causing it to tilt uncomfortably. Swearing in annoyance, the guard stopped to fix his helmet, at which point Orilo quickly flew into the opening, Hatch placing the brick back and closing the door from within just as the guard turned to look at the apparently blank wall where they had been just seconds earlier.

Inside the hidden corridor, Hatch and Orilo crept slowly forward until they saw Mammon's party standing in front of a large metallic door by torchlight. Embossed on the door were seven scenes. The respective scenes showed a man—obviously the Hero of Storms—in various stages of his adventures. One, on the bottom-right, showed him descending into a passage beneath a mountain surrounded by trees; the second one next to it—at bottom-center—displayed that same Hero staring up at the sky. The bottom-left scene had the Hero meeting with the Rito, shaking hands with a Rito warrior; above that was a battle scene, with the Hero on a different mountaintop, facing a sword-wielding giant. The entire top section of the door was dedicated to one large scene; on the top-right and top-left were countless Rito, wielding all sorts of weapons and flying towards a flying palace in the top-center, where the Hero and a winged, multiple-eyed demon fought among the clouds. The center-right showed the Hero standing amidst the windblown ruins of some nameless village, and in the very center of the door—directly above the image of the Hero on the bottom-center, and directly below the flying palace as if falling from it—was a glowing feather. Hiding behind a supporting pillar, Hatch and Orilo observed as Jurah examined the ancient obstacle in front of them.

"Alright," Jurah said, "This is where the book comes in..." After a few moments of perusing the book, Jurah let out an exclamation of victory. "Aha! First, the Hero sees his home village destroyed by fierce gales." As he said this, Jurah pressed down on a section of the center-right image. "Then, on his quest of vengeance, he encounters the Rito, who also suffered at the hands of Vaati." Jurah pressed a section of the bottom-left before pressing similar hidden buttons on each subsequent image. "He journeyed far and wide, descending into dark caverns to face Vaati's minions within... then to the top of a high peak, where he defeated a giant that betrayed its masters... upon defeating the giant, he found the power of flight and chased Vaati to his palace in the sky, aided by his Rito allies. A fierce battle commenced... the Feather fell from the clouds... and at last the Hero, his work done, smiled as the skies were clear once more."

As soon as Jurah pressed the button ingeniously hidden in the bottom-center, the sound of some ancient mechanism unlatching was heard, followed by the door sliding aside to reveal the chamber behind it. The group entered the chamber, unknowingly followed by Orilo and Hatch. Within the chamber were various pillars, each one bearing some strange piece of equipment on it. Many of these had designs upon them that the brothers recognized as being unique to items of Rito make. One of Voss' men looked at a piece of armor with a single wooden shoulder pauldron in the shape of a bird's face, the image of a feather carved onto the forehead.

"Feh. This place has nothing but worthless bird-man junk!"

"Not all treasure is silver and gold," Voss countered. "Plenty of collectors out there who'd pay a fortune for that one alone."

Jurah chuckled. "Well, those other collectors are welcome to it. Take it if you like; I'm after a greater prize."

The minion in question huffed dismissively and shoved the piece off its pedestal in contempt, drawing silent indignation from Hatch and Orilo, who had managed to hide themselves on a ledge near the ceiling. "Those artifacts were made by our ancestors," Hatch whispered angrily. "They belong with our people, not in the hands of these guys." For once, Orilo had to agree. "All they see is money. Disgusting..."

The central pillar, in the place of honor, held a strangely-shaped blue crystal on some form of short metal shaft. Jurah approached the pillar with a proud smile. "Yes, this is what we're looking for."

"That doesn't look like what we're looking for," Voss remarked.

Jurah shook his head. "This is the Key. It's what will lead us to our prize." Mammon placed the book down on a nearby rock for a moment to take the Key from its pedestal before moving away from the rest of the group to confer with Voss for a moment.

"There's our chance to get the book back. Hatch, stay here while I get it and don't make a sound."

"But—"

"Stay. Here." As he gave the firm command, Orilo landed silently near the book, slowly creeping toward it. Unfortunately, just as Orilo placed his wings around it to pick it up, Voss turned and spotted him, causing him to drop it.

"Jurah!"

Mammon turned to look, growling in rage as he, Voss, and the other mercenaries surrounded Orilo, two of them cutting off his escape route while the third approached from in front with Voss and Jurah.

"You're one of the brats who spied on us at the village, aren't you?" Voss sneered. "Where's the other one, huh?"

The question was answered by a thrown rock striking the head of one of the two minions blocking the door, while Hatch himself leapt down onto the head of the other one. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

Without a second's hesitation, Orilo grabbed Hatch in his talons before flying out of the chamber and down the corridor at top speed, stopping only when they reached the entrance. Thankfully, the wall worked just fine from this side, shifting open just in time for it to swing into a guard who had come to rest against it, knocking him down.

The guard had just enough time to gather his wits as Orilo picked up Hatch once again and flew by, quickly followed by Jurah.

"Stop them, you fool!" Jurah shouted at the guard. "They're vandals stealing from the temple!"

The guard shouted to his fellows, who began to converge on the brothers, tossing rocks in an attempt to knock them out of the air. Fortunately, Orilo was a fast flyer, and they were soon out of the Temple. By the time the guards went back to question Mammon and his party, they were gone as well, having escaped in the confusion.

A little while later, Orilo deposited Hatch on a hill overlooking the canyon before collapsing in exhaustion. "Let's... not do that again..."

Hatch, for his part, was still trying to calm his own pounding heart. "They still have... the book. And they're going after the Feather..."

"So we use your map to follow them."

The younger brother looked up at Orilo in surprise. "Wait, you're not gonna say we should go back?"

Orilo shook his head. "No, you're right; not only did they steal that book, they're planning on stealing from our people again. That feather belongs in the village, along with all the other stuff in that hidden vault. The only way that happens is if we beat them to the Feather. With that in mind... where do you think they're off to next?"

"Hmm," Hatch said, thinking for a moment; "Wait, that door... it had an image of the Hero going beneath a mountain surrounded by trees. There are only two places actually marked on the map; one is a mountain in the Gerudo Highlands, where you obviously aren't going to find any trees. The other is an island off the East coast..."

"And I'm guessing that island probably has a mountain on it, surrounded by palm trees. That image came before the other mountain, which probably means..."

The brothers smiled at each other as they spoke simultaneously. "We know where they're going next."

* * *

***** **_Worldbuilding time! In this canon, after the re-founding of Hyrule a number of Royal Ministries were created to oversee the reconstruction of the ruined kingdom and help speed up its recovery. The ministries are as follows:_**

_**~Royal Archaeological Ministry—these guys examine the ruins, figure out what they were for, and help determine what they used to look like as well as learn the history.**_

_**~Royal Labor Ministry—They handle the actual building and logistics. Roads, houses, temples, bridges, monuments... you name it, they can put it back together once the Archaeologists figure out what they're supposed to look like.**_

_**~Royal Welfare Ministry—While the Laborers work to rebuild towns and villages, these guys take care of the people moving back in, helping the community get on its feet and stay there.**_

_**These ministries worked alongside civilian volunteers to get the Kingdom looking like new in just under a decade. After the major population centers were taken care of and the people were all taken care of, the first two were sent to investigate the ruins and shrines across Hyrule while the Welfare Ministry was relegated to a background role in serving the general well-being of the citizenry, keeping track of farm yields in case of famine, etc.**_


	4. Trouble in Paradise

**A/N:**_**T****hanks a bunch to Shape of Fire over on Spacebattles for his awesome suggestions!**_

* * *

Carnon Voss had learned long ago that, when someone like Jurah Mammon hired you, good business usually meant taking whatever criticisms they leveled at you. The fact that they were currently on the trail of something that would make them both practically kings was only further incentive to keep his mouth shut. Then there was the fact that, unlike many of his previous employers, Jurah seemed to genuinely know what he was doing. Last but not least—and this was the hardest to swallow for the moment—Jurah was absolutely _right._

"Children, Voss! You lost the map to children, and you didn't even know it until after we left for the island!"

"I get it, Jurah," Voss responded. "But it doesn't cost us anything, really. Your book already tells us enough that we know where to go without it, and even if it didn't I've memorized the map."

Jurah was unimpressed. "That's not the issue, and you know it. Those children are ahead of us on the trail, and in spite of your supposedly impressive record, they have managed to make a fool out of you twice in a row!"

Now _that_ burned enough to nearly cost Voss his composure. He silently admitted it to himself; he'd gotten cocky and underestimated the brats. Next time they met, he wouldn't make that mistake, nor would he waste any time. No, whichever one he found first would die then and there, and the other would swiftly follow. His reputation and pride were both on the line.

"They won't make a fool of me again. I'll handle it."

"They had better not," Mammon replied sternly, "we are on the verge of a treasure worth more than diamonds. We cannot afford further complications."

Voss sighed. "I said I'll handle it, Jurah. That means I will."

A pause came as their small band guided their horses and carts right past a stable, continuing on through the thick jungles of Faron province in the direction of the coast as swiftly as they could manage in spite of the setting sun. They had places to be, and their quarry already had a head start...

* * *

Meanwhile, that very quarry had just arrived in Lurelin, a seaside town on the South-Eastern coast of Hyrule in the tropical Faron region. Just twelve years ago, it had been little more than a quiet fishing hamlet; now, though, it was a growing town due to the reputation of the Champion who had visited there during his adventures. Its beauty, too, was a factor in its newfound growth, providing incentive for tourists looking for a tropical escape. The local inn had grown to fill this demand, gaining a second story, an additional wing, and separate rooms with windows looking out at the bay. But Hatch and Orilo were not here for tourism; instead, they were stopping for supplies. They had stopped at Kolomo Village for some salted meat, flint, and a woodcutting hatchet, as well as a small bow and arrows for hunting. The salted meat had filled Hatch's satchel to bursting, which meant they couldn't fly as far as they had hoped due to the extra weight, taking away some of their initial lead over their enemies. By the time they finally reached Lurelin, the meat had been exhausted, along with some of the flint and half the arrows. Thankfully, their parents had given them a decent amount of rupees in anticipation of them staying in Castle Town, where the inn costs were somewhat expensive.

As they wandered the village in search of supplies for the rest of their journey, they overheard a number of things about their next destination, Eventide Island. First of all, in spite of the rather sizable growth spurt the village was undergoing, the island was still uninhabited, though plans for settlement were underway. Second, the shrine had yet to be studied by the Archaeological Ministry, which meant that aside from the Champion no one had really explored it much. And last but not least, they received confirmation—through a little bit of investigation—that the Champion may not have been the only Hero to have visited the place. No one quite knew what was there beyond the shrine that could have drawn the attention of an incarnation of the Eternal Hero, but few in the village were willing to find out without a good deal of armed support from Castle Town in the event that some dangers remained. Hatch was confident that both Heroes had dealt with the dangers of the island so thoroughly that there couldn't possibly be anything to worry about; Orilo was not so sure.

"Come on, Ril, it'll be fine. No one's seen any monsters since the Champion killed Calamity Ganon."

"We're still going into a weird ruin, Hatch," Orilo chided; "Who knows what's down there? Bats? Traps?"

Hatch smiled. "Bats aren't keese, Ril. Bats don't have one eye, the ability to charge themselves with magic, or the overwhelming urge to chew your face off."

"How comforting. What about traps, though?"

"So we'll be careful where we step," Hatch said, undeterred.

Orilo was about to respond to that when familiar voices were heard in the hallway outside their room.

"...So we should be fine until morning. Even if they beat us to the island—which, in all likelihood, they have—they won't be able to use the altar without the Key."

Hatch and Orilo looked at each other, sharing the same thought. _That's Mammon's voice!_

"You sound pretty sure of that," the voice of Carnon Voss responded, "But you're the boss. I'll tell the boys to be ready to move at first light."

The voices moved into what both brothers could tell was the room a couple of doors down; waiting in tense silence until they were sure they would not be heard, Hatch whispered to Orilo.

"They don't know we're here," he said with a smile. "They think we're already on the island!"

"So what? You heard what they said. Whatever that 'altar' is they're talking about, we can't do anything with it without that... Key..."

Orilo had scarcely finished his sentence before realizing his mistake, watching in horror as Hatch opened the window and carefully climbed out. "Hatch," he hissed, "What are you doing?!"

His little brother didn't answer, instead moving past the next window toward the one looking into Jurah and Voss' room. Grunting in frustration, Orilo flew outside before landing close to said window, ready to help make a quick getaway if needed. As Hatch carefully crept inside, the young Hylian boy smiled in triumph at the sight of his enemies sleeping soundly. Voss lay in the bed closest to the door, the chieftain's book clutched tightly to his chest while the other hand held a sword. Knowing there was no chance of getting that book without waking the mercenary up, he turned to look at Jurah instead; the wealthy man was not holding anything, but situated just next to his bed was a large satchel. Hatch carefully approached, prying it open to reveal the Key.

"Guh..."

Both brothers froze in terror at the gasp Jurah made, the air still with silent horror as they waited for their enemy to awaken... but to their relief, he did not, and continued to slumber. With the Key in hand, Hatch carefully climbed out the window and allowed Orilo to carry him toward the island.

"Hatch, that was stupid!" Orilo barked as they flew over the water. "What were you thinking? You could have been _killed!"_

The younger brother rolled his eyes. "It worked, didn't it? Besides, like you said, we need it. We can figure out how to use it once we get to the island."

Upon reaching said island, Ril decided to take a breather while Hatch started a small fire using some flint and wood they had purchased in the village. As soon as the fire was lit, Hatch took out the map and began to read it.

"Okay, so next to the island, there's some writing... 'The morning light over the elder reveals the door on the younger.'"

"So what does that mean?" Orilo asked, plopping down next to Hatch.

"There are two mountains on this island," Hatch said. "I think the 'elder' is the larger of the two. As for the light revealing the door... maybe the sun will cast a shadow pointing out an entrance to the tunnel or cave or whatever?"

Orilo thought for a moment. "That sounds right. But sunrise won't be for a few hours, and we don't know when those guys will wake up and realize they've been robbed. I say we take shifts; you get some sleep, little brother. I'll sit here for a while and keep watch. I'll wake you in a couple of hours."

With a nod, Hatch doused the fire and lay down for a nap. The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful, and as the dawn approached the brothers quickly found their way to the foot of the larger mountain and faced the smaller one, waiting for the sun to cast the shadow. To their shared surprise, the shadow did indeed seem to point out a spot on the side of the smaller mountain, close to the base; the spot in question, upon closer inspection, had rock that was slightly different in appearance to its surroundings. Without the aid of the shadow, one would never have noticed it. A few moments later, they discovered a slight indent covered by a small stone that hid a button. Pressing it caused the rock face to slide downward, revealing a carved tunnel leading deep underground.

Taking a deep breath to prepare themselves, the brothers began to make their way into the tunnel. To their relief, there was some light within coming from wall carvings that glowed in the telltale hue of luminous stone at regular intervals. The passages wound and twisted and turned deeper and deeper until they came to a large chamber that appeared empty, save for four pillars.

"Okay, so dead end," Orilo sighed. "Maybe we ought to turn back and look for a side passage we missed..."

Hatch was about to take his brother's suggestion when he did a double-take at one of the pillars. "Ril... that pillar is slightly out of alignment!"

"So what?"

His brother was practically beaming with overwhelming excitement. "So what?! Don't you know the stories? There are a ton where the Hero pushes an out-of-place block or pillar and a secret door opens up!"

"Hatch, there's no way that—" Orilo cut his sentence short as his brother pushed the pillar back into place with surprising ease—it must have been on some sort of mechanism that allowed it to slide easily—which did indeed cause a door to appear on the far wall of the room.

"I stand corrected. Shut up."

Hatch didn't respond, aside from whistling and grinning triumphantly as they waltzed through the door into a hidden chamber beyond. Said chamber was far more ornate, featuring a carved map of Hyrule on a raised stage; just before the stage was a strange altar-like structure with an odd slot in the middle of it.

"Let's see," Hatch said, humming in thought, "Maybe we stick the Key in this slot..."

No sooner had he done so than a bright light shone from the crystalline artifact, causing a beam to fire outward in a straight line; the beam crossed the map on the floor and exited the chamber through a small hole that appeared in the wall. As soon as the beam faded, the pair noticed that the map on the floor had a new line drawn along the path of the beam.

"That must be what the Key is for! It's pointing out where the Feather is!"

"Just a minute, Hatch," Orilo said, pointing to the map; "The line goes all the way across. Even if you're right, the Feather could be _anywhere_ along that line."

The two thought carefully before the elder brother came to the answer. "Wait... the other spot on the map! There must be a similar place there, too. And if that place produces a beam going in a different direction..."

"...it'll cross the path of this beam, and..."

The brothers smiled at each other, speaking simultaneously. "X marks the spot."

* * *

"Damn those brats..."

Jurah was absolutely _fuming._ He had been the instant they woke up and found the Key missing and the window open. This time, however, he reserved his criticism of Voss, as this particular setback was his own fault. He, Voss, and the latter's three lackeys had taken a boat and set off for the island at first light. Jurah could only curse further as they approached the smaller mountain, seeing the open tunnel before him.

"Dammit," Jurah growled, "They found it!"

Before anyone could make any further comment, a beam of light shot out of the ground near the mountain at a high angle, following a North-Western path into the distant skies.

"Well, they used the altar. Want me and the boys to go down and kill them now, boss?"

Jurah quickly took out a standard map of Hyrule along with a quill pen and a jar of ink. "No, wait! I have a better idea. Just let me figure out the direction of the beam, and I'll tell you what I have in mind..."

* * *

Orilo had to admit, this particular leg of their journey was filled with more suspense than actual danger. The fact that they had made a significant gain on their enemy only further lifted his spirits. Hatch even took his flute out of his satchel to begin playing a short celebratory tune as Orilo waved the Key like a conductor's baton in time with the melody.

"Well, well, well, it seems we didn't have long to wait after all!"

The good feelings vanished in an instant as soon as they exited the tunnel and were greeted by Jurah, Voss, and the latter's three minions. Jurah and a couple of Voss' men held crossbows in their hands, while the third lackey leaned on his sword and Voss brandished a knife.

"I think you have something that belongs to us," Voss said, holding out a hand to Orilo. "Mind handing it over, kid?"

With little choice in the matter, Orilo did just that, handing the Key over to Voss, who chuckled in response. "You know, you two have caused me a lot of trouble. I think maybe I need to do something to teach you a lesson. A little wing-clipping here, a little carving there..."

"Just don't kill them yet, Voss," Jurah said with a cruel smile. "We could use some hostages in case the guards come after us."

Orilo began to wrack his brain trying to come up with some way out of their predicament... only for everyone to lose their train of thought at a shrill, breathy shrieking sound coming from Hatch's flute. As it repeated again and again, Jurah and the rest began to wince in annoyance.

"By Din's flames, what is that noise you're making?"

Hatch smirked impishly as the sound of many flapping wings came from overhead. "A blue-winged heron chick."

Before anyone could react, an entire flock of the birds in question, responding to the mimicked sound of a hatchling in danger, descended upon the gang and began to attack them. In the confusion, the brothers managed to slip away. As Orilo carried Hatch off over the bay toward the mainland, his thoughts turned back to worry.

_Hatch still acts like this is some fun adventure. But Voss was ready to _torture_ us. What happens if we're not so lucky a second time?_

Orilo kept his thoughts to himself as they arrived on the shore and quickly hired a carriage toward the closest stables so he could rest before the next leg of their journey.


	5. Laketown

**A/N:****_Sorry for the short chapter. Hopefully the quality makes up for the length!_**

* * *

Hatch and Orilo had somehow managed to reach Lake Hylia before their pursuers could catch up to them, though it had required additional flying that had frankly worn the latter out. As such, simply flying across the lake—which would already have been a task in and of itself—was right out, which meant they would have to cross the Bridge of Hylia on foot. As they approached, however, a new problem presented itself. The gatehouse to the bridge was closed tight, with a small number of soldiers carefully inspecting merchant carts. A line had formed as a result, with carts stretching quite far from the gatehouse.

Hatch frowned deeply as he looked at the long line that had barely moved at all since they had arrived. "What's going on? The bridge wasn't closed when we passed last time..."

"I'm as stumped as you are," Orilo responded. "but maybe they'll let us through if we ask nicely?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

The pair turned to see a merchant leaning against his cart nearby; an older man with long white hair and a beard, he had a certain twinkle to his eye that betrayed a canniness not usually observed in your average elderly person.

Orilo peered at the man quizzically. "What do you mean? What's all the security for?"

"Well, it's really just a rumor, but word has it that someone broke into the Royal Archaeological Ministry headquarters in Castle Town and stole something. Apparently, it's important enough that checkpoints have been established all over the place, but now they seem to be focusing more energy on the bridge."

The brothers shared a knowing look. _Jurah and Voss,_ they silently realized. Clearly, some form of tip had found its way into the hands of the authorities that the culprits had crossed the bridge.

"How long until this clears up, do you think?" Hatch asked, a bit of nervousness creeping into his question.

The man shook his head. "I've been here a day at least. They're taking their time with each and every cart, and occasionally taking in people for short questioning. Whatever those thieves stole, it must have been pretty serious. I wouldn't expect to pass through for another couple of days, myself..."

Hatch and Orilo walked away for a bit of privacy before sighing in unison. "Oh, great," the latter groaned, "just what we needed. What do we do? We can't just wait for Jurah and Voss to catch up to us..."

Hatch thought carefully for a few moments before snapping his fingers with a smile. "I know! Why don't we stop in Laketown for a bit? If things don't speed up soon, we can always fly from there after a night's rest."

"Hmm. I guess you're right. It's not like we can do anything from here right now... and I always did want to visit that place."

Laketown was one of the newest developments since the end of the Calamity, and yet it was already bustling despite having been built more or less from scratch. Based off of Hylia Island in the middle of the lake, it was the result of a collaborative effort by both Zora and Hylians to both foster closer relations as well as to provide a potential jumping-off point for future settlements in the Menoat River Valley to the South and the Taobab Grasslands to the East. The architecture was a strange blend of Zora and Hylian architecture styles, with luminous stone stilts and wooden docks complimented by brick-and-mortar construction that expanded the town further than the island. For the moment, the only entrance to the town was a small bridge from the South shore of Lake Hylia, but work was already underway to create a secondary bridge to the North shore as well. The rapid development of this new and fascinating collaboration was a mark of pride and progress for the Kingdom of Hyrule and the Zora alike.

With the severe delays caused by the extra security on the bridge, Hatch and Orilo soon found that they were not the only people that chose to stay in Laketown for a while. Indeed, the crowd was such that finding a room at an inn was rather difficult; in fact, no matter where they searched all the rooms seemed to be booked completely. With little choice, they decided to spend some time looking through the shops and stalls and hope that something opened up. As they did so, however, Hatch was suddenly interrupted by a stranger bumping into him roughly, knocking him over before running off. As the young boy rubbed his backside in pain, he noticed a conspicuous absence.

"My bag... the map!"

Both eyes turned to see the culprit walking casually down an alleyway; with an angry growl, Hatch chased after the man, Orilo flying after.

"He's got the map, Ril! Go high, I'll chase him on foot!"

With a nod, the older brother swooped up over the rooftops as Hatch chased the thief into the alley. The thief, having spotted Hatch, quickly broke into a run, with the latter in hot pursuit. Somehow, Hatch managed to keep up the chase even as the thief took quick turns through back alleys in an attempt to throw him off. Finally, the thief seemed to decide on a new tactic and leapt onto a crate before clambering to the roof of a house; this did nothing to deter Hatch, who followed a similar route as the chase moved to higher ground. When Orilo attempted to swoop down on the thief from above, however, the man changed tactics once again and leapt through an open window, bringing the pursuit indoors as Hatch followed and Orilo tried to track the movement as best he could. Shouts of surprise from startled occupants rang out as the thief darted in and out of buildings, tossing household objects at Hatch in an attempt to evade capture; eventually, the chase lead back into the streets, and it was there the chase ended as the thief used the crowds to vanish from sight.

As it became clear that they had lost their quarry, Orilo landed with an angry huff. "Flames! We lost him..."

"No! We just have to keep looking! He's gotta be here somewhere!"

Orilo turned his head to chide his younger brother, but stopped when he saw a frantic look on Hatch's face. "Hatch, it's useless. That thief got away plain and simple."

"So we turn this town upside-down until we find him! Without that map, we can't find the feather!"

Orilo sighed. "Hatch, this whole thing is getting dangerous anyway. Besides, mother and father are probably worried sick about us for how long we've been gone. We should just go home..."

"'Go _home?!'" _Hatch growled, "No! Not yet! We've already come this far! Jurah and his gang will get the feather unless we do! I'm not giving up until I can see if the legend is true for myself, and we can't let them get their greedy hands on it, either! We can't... I can't give this up..."

A silence passed between the two as Hatch's outburst wound down to a heartbroken conclusion. Before either one could break that silence, however, a familiar face intruded upon the moment.

"Lose something, did you?"

The two of them turned to see the old merchant from before standing in a nearby alleyway. "Where did you come from?"

"Oh, I was just passing by when I overheard you," the man replied with a nod to Hatch. "Tell me, what's so important that you can't bear to lose it?"

Hatch turned his gaze to the ground. "You... you wouldn't understand."

"Oh, you'd be surprised... in any case, if you're still interested in finding that thief, I heard a rumor that there's some sort of thieves' guild in Proxim across the lake. Much as the soldiers are trying to crack down, lowlifes like that tend to keep small boats ready for a quick escape, and the guards can't catch _everything._ I reckon that if you start from the edge of the unfinished bridge to the North, you might be able to get across by air."

The brothers looked at each other for a moment before looking back. Orilo gave the man a skeptical glance. "You seem to know a lot about this stuff..."

A grandfatherly cackle came in response. "Hehehe! Well, you don't live as long as I do without learning a few things. Why don't you two get some sleep somewhere and go after him later? It's not likely that thief will travel further than Proxim, anyway."

"We've looked," Hatch sighed, "there aren't any rooms available."

A twinkle came from the old man's eyes. "Oh? Well in that case, take this." He flipped a gold coin into Hatch's waiting hands before pointing to it. "That there should be valuable enough to convince any innkeeper here to open something up. In fact, I seem to recall an inn a few blocks east of here called the Stockpot; you might try your luck there."

All of this seemed rather suspicious to Orilo, who followed the departing man with a critical gaze. As soon as the man was gone, Orilo turned to look at Hatch. "Well, what now? Do you think we should trust him?"

"I think so," Hatch nodded, "He had nice eyes. I think he's really trying to help."

Orilo wasn't entirely certain of that. But for the moment, they had little choice; with a shrug and a sigh, the brothers made their way to the inn the old man mentioned, hoping their luck would return soon.


	6. City of Secrets

**A/N:****_Sorry about the short chapter. Corona may have me in self-isolation, but music commissions and family issues have been taking up more time than anticipated, so for the moment I'm focusing on short chapter posts for some of my fics. Hopefully the quality makes up for the brevity until I have more free time._**

* * *

Outside of Castle Town, the city of Proxim was the largest in Hyrule; having been rebuilt from the various ruins stretching from the South side of Lake Kolomo to the other side of its namesake bridge to the East, it was a true metropolis and perhaps the single most important hub of trade in the kingdom. In addition to this, Proxim also served as the unofficial entryway to the Great Plateau, one of the first major ruins outside Castle Town to be fully rebuilt. The Plateau, however, remained primarily a place of reverence and cultural importance rather than a true residential area like Proxim. The city boasted shops, inns, game houses, blocks and blocks of residential buildings, parade grounds, and even a garrison. Truly, it had become one of the crown jewels of Central Hyrule. Unfortunately, the size of the city—the very thing which had so fascinated both Hatch and Orilo on their first time passing through it—was now their greatest frustration as they followed the trail of the thief who'd stolen the map in Laketown.

As the Bridge of Hylia had still been practically blocked due to the high security there, the brothers chose to take the old merchant's advice and fly from the unfinished smaller bridge from Laketown to the Northern shore of the lake after a night's rest at the Stockpot Inn. Said inn was surprisingly expensive-looking, and Orilo was quite skeptical that a single gold coin would grant them a room... but strangely enough, with one single look at the coin the innkeeper immediately found a vacancy for them. The whole thing smelled suspicious, but Hatch had insisted they not look a gift horse in the mouth. As soon as they arrived in Proxim the next day, the two began their search—but with little success.

"I don't get it," Hatch said, looking over the massive crowds from a rooftop. "No one here seems to know anything about a thieves' guild. You'd think that sort of thing would be common knowledge."

Orilo shook his head. "It's hardly surprising to me. Obviously, they're afraid of saying anything. Either that or that old man lied to us."

"Seriously? You're still on that?" Hatch looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, what would he have to gain by lying to us?"

"Maybe he's one of them and trying to send us into their clutches."

"Yeah, because two Rito kids are a big commodity—"

Orilo was about to fire back when a familiar face caught his eye. "Hatch, look!"

The younger brother looked down at the crowd to see none other than the old merchant from Laketown walking around the various shops and stalls in the marketplace.

"How did he get here?! The Bridge is still closed!"

"I told you he wasn't telling us everything," Orilo sighed.

"...Let's follow him!"

Orilo did a double-take. "Hatch, if that old man is part of this thieves' guild then he's dangerous—"

"And he has the map," Hatch countered. "We can't give up now!"

Knowing that there was little chance of success in arguing the point with his impulsive younger brother, Orilo sighed and followed Hatch as they trailed the mysterious elder from the rooftops. Even from their high vantage point, the pair could clearly tell that the man seemed... different, in both mannerism and demeanor, from the kindly old merchant he had been in Laketown. Something about the way he held himself and walked and looked around reminded the brothers more of an aging warrior than an elderly seller of wares. With every step they followed in, their suspicion heightened; finally, the man ducked down an alleyway behind a weapons shop, going down a flight of stairs to a basement door at the back of the building. This was the only time during the silent chase that their quarry seemed genuinely wary of followers. As soon as the man was through the door, Hatch climbed down from his perch to quietly approach it.

"Hatch, this is dangerous..."

"Everything we've done since leaving the village has been dangerous, Ril. Compared to Jurah and Voss, this'll be a piece of cake!"

Hatch flung open the door... only to reveal an empty storeroom. The walls were lined with shelves of dusty crates, an old but rather ornate rug in the center of the floor being the only decoration in the room.

"Where'd he go? We both saw him come in here," Hatch said in confusion.

Orilo's caution was overridden by his own curiosity as they searched the room. Suddenly, he noticed something decidedly out of place.

"Hatch... why does a storage room have a fancy rug?"

The younger brother looked down at the rug in question; it was indeed rather ornate for such a small and utilitarian space. It wasn't exactly brand-new in appearance, but there was definitely less dust on it than on anything else in the room.

"Maybe it's hiding a secret passageway?"

Orilo lifted the rug up to reveal that there was indeed a trapdoor hidden under it. Tossing the rug aside and carefully opening the door up, he held out a wing to his brother. "I'll go first, Hatch. Don't argue."

The younger shut his mouth on his intended protest and rolled his eyes as Orilo climbed down a ladder under the door, finding himself in a stone corridor; the sound of running water could be heard echoing a distance down the tunnel, indicating a connection to the local sewer. Other than a single lit torch, however, there were no signs of habitation or life. Which meant no immediate danger.

"Okay, the coast is clear," Orilo whispered as his brother descended the ladder.

No sooner than Hatch had planted his feet on the stone floor, however, then a look of fright crossed his face. "Uh, Ril, you might want to check again..."

Orilo turned around to see a number of masked individuals pointing an assortment of spears, swords, daggers and bows in their direction.

"How did they just appear like that—"

"Silence," the leader of the group said with a tranquil command. "You will come with us, and you will make no sound or protest. And you will not resist, or there will be consequences."

With little choice in the matter, the brothers allowed themselves to be bound and led through the dark, dank corridors beneath the city. After a number of twists and turns, they were ushered into a wide chamber lit by torches and a hanging brazier before being roughly thrown to the floor.

"We meet again, it seems," a familiar voice chuckled. "You did well to follow me here, but truth be told I had hoped you would not be so foolish as to do so."

The pair looked up in shock to see the old merchant staring down at them, his hands crossed behind his back.

"Welcome to our little hideaway. We have much to discuss."


	7. Answers

**A/N:****_I'm back! 'Rona has been sapping my creativity to some degree, along with the general state of the world. As such, I've decided to step back from social media, reading the news, and doing music commissions until my stress level drops. I'll do my best to keep writing these fics, but I'm wary of burnout so don't expect much of a change in the frequency of chapters until things improve for me._**

* * *

Hatch and Orilo stared in shock at the old merchant; the man was definitely the same one who had pointed them here in the first place, but something about his demeanor made him seem an entirely different person than the one they met. He seemed to stand slightly taller, and his expression was far more severe.

After a few moments of silence, the old man sighed. "Well, go ahead. Ask your questions. I know you have them."

It was Hatch who spoke first, a flood of indignant questions bursting out of him. "Who are you? Why did you help us then lead us here? What are you going to do to us? Are we hostages? Are you working with Mammon and Voss?!"

"Hatch!" cautioned Orilo fearfully, "Don't antagonize him! We don't know what he might do if we make him angry—"

"I am Ellor."

The brothers snapped their heads in unison at the sudden response from the elderly man, who paused for a moment before continuing. "As for who _we_ are... I lied in more than one sense. There is no thieves' guild in Proxim. There is, however, a Shiekah cell."

"Wait," Hatch said, comprehension dawning. "You're Shiekah?! The royal bodyguards? The shadows of the Hylians? The eyes in the dark—"

The man held up a hand to pause him. "Yes, yes, and a hundred other silly names. As for why you are here, why I led you here... that is a bit more complicated. Under ordinary circumstances, I would not have done so; we would have simply taken the map and left it at that. And trust me, it is partially for your own sake that we did. But I saw your reaction to losing it; obviously, this quest means quite a bit to you both. I feel I owe you some form of explanation, so that you can understand why you must end your journey immediately."

"Hatch," Orilo said, stopping his brother's protest in its tracks, "I think we ought to just listen for now."

Ellor nodded. "A wise decision, young Orilo. Where to begin... let's start with your competition, Jurah Mammon and Carnon Voss. They are, in fact, unwitting assets of the Shiekah; we are using them without their knowledge as tools to locate a great secret left behind by the Hero of Storms."

"The Roc's Feather... right?"

"Among other things, yes." Ellor smiled briefly at Hatch before continuing his explanation. "The prize they seek is something Hyrule could definitely use in the future, but it is sealed away behind countless traps and puzzles; sadly, the solution to these—along with the specific location of the site—has been lost and forgotten with time. We do not wish to risk our own for such a prize if we can help it; the Shiekah are yet rebuilding along with the rest of Hyrule. Thankfully, someone else has eyes on it and will gladly brave such dangers in our stead. Mammon learned of the Feather via a mole he had in the Royal Archaeological Ministry, whom he had contacted before to locate items of value that he could loot. We had been monitoring all contact between the two for some time, and upon learning of his interest in this we decided to allow him to pursue it. When he hired Voss to steal a map from the archives, we deliberately created a gap in security there to allow the theft to occur. If Mammon and Voss fail in their endeavors, then at the very least they may trigger some of those traps and make disarming the rest easier in the process."

Orilo decided to interject at this. "But what if they succeed? Are you just going to let them have the Feather?"

"We are quite certain that they will not obtain the Feather, even if they succeed. But that is all you need to know; these matters are of great importance. Moreover, both your foes and your quest are dangerous; we would be remiss if we allowed two children to endanger themselves blindly. You must allow events to continue their course, for your sake and Hyrule's. Once Voss and Mammon cross the bridge, we will allow them to believe you were captured by our false thieves' guild and sold off, and then allow them to steal the map from us. This will leave them none the wiser and prevent them from retaliating against you for interfering in their affairs—which otherwise they most certainly_ would_ do, up to and including murdering the both of you, and possibly worse than that. After they continue on their way, we will escort you back to your home and explain things to your chieftain. And after _that, _you will abandon all thoughts of continuing this endeavor, and you will never speak of it again, to anyone."

"But—"

"This is for your own good, child," Ellor said, interrupting Hatch. "There is no need for you to risk your life further for this matter."

"'THIS MATTER' _IS_ MY LIFE!"

Orilo looked aghast at his brother's words. "Hatch, don't say that!"

"No, Ril! You don't get it! None of you do!" A pause came over all but Hatch as he began to shake with rage and sorrow, addressing Ellor with a red face and growing tears. "Do you have any idea what it's like, looking at your hands late at night and wondering why you were born in the wrong body? Do you have any solitary _clue_ what it is to look up at the sky each morning and watch as your family flies away on errands or hunts, knowing that you can never, ever join them? Every single day I see things that remind me that as much as I _want_ to be a Rito, as much as I _am_ one at heart, none of that matters because I'm stuck on the ground in this _stupid, wingless,_ _worthless_ _Hylian body!_ The sky is where my people live, it's where I belong, but it's off limits to me! And if I don't do something about it, it'll be that way for the rest of my life! This quest... the Feather, it's the only way I'll ever change that. I don't _care_ what the danger is. I don't _care _what it takes, or what it costs. I _have_ to find it... I _have_ to. Because I can't bear to think of being a wingless Rito anymore. This is the only way..." A sob escaped him as his tears began to flow uncontrollably. "Please... I can't..."

For a minute or so, the room grew silent, save for Hatch's weeping. After a time, a look of resignation and sympathy fell over Ellor's wrinkled face. "...Very well."

Hatch looked up in confusion, sniffling.

Ellor nodded. "It is clear that you will not stop, even if we demand it. If you promise to wait for at least a day—do not fear, your foes are delayed as well—we will allow you to continue chasing this, and will give you what aid we can. However... I must ask you to consider our words, and think of the perils you will face. I remain hopeful that you will return home willingly."

At a nod from Ellor, the Shiekah behind the brothers cut their bonds and helped them to their feet. Ellor gestured to a stairway behind him. "This leads upward to the back room of an inn we use as a facade for much of our activities here in Proxim; you may stay there for the time being. We will watch over you, and in the morning—assuming you again refuse to abandon your quest—we will discuss what possible aid we might be able to lend you on your journey."

* * *

That night, Ellor knelt in meditation in his chambers within the hidden Shiekah compound beneath Proxim. He truly did wish for the brothers to abandon their quest—as much as he knew they would not. It wasn't simply the danger that gave him pause with regards to allowing them to continue on their way, though that was a great deal of it. No, it was the fact that, by allowing the pair to pursue their goal, he—and the Shiekah—would essentially be turning children into pawns just the same as they had Mammon and Voss. The truth was that the brothers' interference would not truly have any adverse affect on the plan, as the only requirement was that _someone_ find the treasure of the Hero of Storms. And the presence of competition against Mammon and Voss would likely create increased determination to find their prize, ensuring that they did not abandon it due to any degree of danger. The thought of knowingly allowing children to be used in the same manner... well, the Shiekah did what they had to do. That was the way of things, and occasionally doing what was best for Hyrule required distasteful acts. But that didn't mean Ellor would have to like it, nor did it mean he could not seek alternatives.

And yet, the sight of the young Rito-raised Hylian boy weeping over his situation... he did not think himself so soft as to be affected by it to such a degree, but it affected him all the same. He would see to it that the brothers received aid, whatever aid could be spared; perhaps that would alleviate some of his guilt at allowing them to continue endangering their young lives.


End file.
